A Father's Blessing
by djEskimo
Summary: Tony requests something of Gibbs. TIVA. Tony/Gibbs-Father/Son.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.**

**a/n: I needed a break from my other fic, and this little plot bunny came hopping into my head.**

**It's fluffy goodness ******

**--==--**

-=-

_You can do this._ He tells himself as he takes his first step away from the car. _First step is the hardest, DiNozzo._ His eyes are determinedly set upon the small house in front of him.

_Deep breath._

Another few steps.

_What's there to be scared of?_

Halfway to the door now.

_Gibbs will totally go for this._

Letting himself in.

_Right?_

Anthony DiNozzo takes another deep breath as he steps through the entryway, shoulders hunched and sweating more than he'd like to admit.

"You can do this." He says to himself, just above a whisper, as he slowly walks the familiar steps to the basement.

He pauses, as if to reconsider his choice, before heading resolutely down the stairs. Gibbs looks up to acknowledge his presence before returning to his boat.

Tony quietly coughs as he stands awkwardly a few feet away. "Boss?" His voice is shaky and it sounds vaguely reminiscent of his pubescent years.

"Yeah."

_Way to make it easy for me, Gibbs._

"Can we… talk?"

"Yup." He says, sliding the sand paper gently across the frame.

"It might be better if you weren't working on the boat." Gibbs takes the time to turn and raise an eyebrow at the younger agent. "Or continue working on the boat… that's fine. Better. Even."

"You were saying, DiNozzo?"

"Oh, right. Well." Another cough. "It's uh. It's about Ziva, boss."

Gibbs stops sanding and turns to look him full in the face. "What did you do to her?" His tone would kill a weaker man.

"What? No! Nothing! I mean, I left the toilet seat up at her apartment a couple days ago, but it was just one time." Gibbs eyes him warily before returning to his work.

"What is it then?"

"Well. You know we've… been dating for a while now."

Gibbs scoffs at this. "As you've made clear."

"Right well. Okay. So you'd consider yourself to be… a father figure to her, right?"

Gibbs nods, moving to a different section of the boat. Tony runs an uncertain hand through his hair before continuing.

"So, I just. Okay, I can do this. Please don't headslap me? I…" Tony takes another deep breath steadying himself against the boat's frame.

"Just spit it out, Tony."

"I want to marry her."

Silence encompasses the room as Gibbs stops his sanding.

Tony waits for some form of reprimanding: yelling, a headslap, getting kicked out… anything. When nothing comes, he continues.

"And since, I think, she considers you to be more of a father than her actual father… I thought I'd ask for your blessing."

Gibbs slowly turns around, dropping his sander on the counter before picking up his glass of bourbon. Tony remains silent as he watches his boss take a long, nauseatingly slow sip.

_Please, take your time. It's not like I just made the biggest declaration of my life or anything._

"You know, she'd kill you if she knew you were doing this."

"Yeah, well, I think we both know Ziva makes her own choices. And if I'm being honest, I'm not just here for her."

Gibbs raises his head and looks at Tony full in the face.

"I mean… I…" Tony had not been planning on making this announcement today as well. "You're life a father to me too. And, I want to know what you think."

Gibbs takes another sip. "What I think?"

"Yeah."

"Well," he starts, placing his glass on the counter and picking up his sander. "I think she can do a hell of a lot better."

"Thanks for that." Tony mutters quietly.

"But it's her choice. And if she says yes, then you have my blessing." He says, restarting his work on the boat.

Tony releases the breath he'd been holding since he'd arrived. Figuratively, at any rate.

"And, what do you think? About, my choice, I mean."

"I think." He stops his sanding. "I think I'm proud of you, DiNozzo. Finally settling down."

"I love her." He says simply, as if it explains it all. It does.

The two share a comfortable silence as Gibbs resumes his sanding.

"And if you hurt her Tony, I will shoot you dead."

"Please, boss, she'll kill me first."

"Yeah she will."

Tony gives a small smile to his mentor before slowly turning and making his way to the stairs.

"Oh, one last thing." Tony turns around as Gibbs speaks up. "Good luck."

-=-

**--==--**

**I haven't decided if I want to do a chapter on the proposal or not… I do need me some more Tiva fluff. Tell me what you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: See previous chapter**

**a/n: So I decided to write another chapter. (Sigh) I need Tiva. Oh, this chapter is like, twenty times more Tiva, and hardly any father/son stuff. For whatever that's worth…**

**I changed the rating to T due to some suggestions in this chapter. I'm not sure what exactly it is that is being suggested, but I'm pretty sure it warrants at least a T rating.**

**--==--**

-=-

_Will you marry me?_

_Ziva David, marry me?_

_Please marry me, Ziva._

Tony holds his head in his hands as he sits silently at his desk. Three days. Three days since he bought the ring. The same ring that is currently burning a hole in his jacket pocket.

He's wanted to ask her, but anytime the opportunity arises, words have failed him.

Yes, words have failed him. Him. Anthony DiNozzo. Extemporizing aficionado. Effusive to a fault. Verbosity incarnate. At a loss for words.

Only Ziva could possibly do that to him.

_I want to spend the rest of my life with you; marry me?_

_I love you, Ziva; will you marry me?_

It's so easy on paper.

He looks up to see Ziva staring at him. The questioning stare. The one that always gives her answers.

Tony gives a small smile before focusing his attention on the computer screen in front of him.

"Are you okay?" She asks, and Tony hears genuine worry in her voice. In fairness, every time he's been with her since talking to Gibbs, he'd been uncharacteristically jumpy. Ziva had of course taken notice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Great. How are you?" He adds sweetly, giving her a familiar grin. She frowns back, sensing his apprehension. "I just really hate paperwork days." It's convincing enough, as it is half-true.

"Me too. Perhaps Gibbs will let us off early today, yes?"

"I doubt that." He says and he watches her face as she gives a sad smile and refocuses her attention on the file she'd been reviewing. "Why, did you have something you wanted to do?"

"Not necessarily _something_. Perhaps…"

"Someone?" He finishes easily, a true smile gracing his features.

"Exactly."

They share a knowing look across their desks, minds both far away from NCIS's squad room.

Ziva is first to break their eye contact as Gibbs exits the elevator, fresh cup of coffee in hand.

"Where's McGee?" He asks, walking past the pair.

"McGoo? Downstairs with Abby. Said something about a past case…"

"Gibbs," Ziva stands up from her desk, taking the file with her. "I reviewed the case Agent Johnston was assigned…" Tony lets his mind stray from his work as he looks at Ziva. Really looks at Ziva.

_Ziva, will you marry me?_

The words are so simple, but they hold so much meaning. The idea of marriage used to disgust Tony. Why would anyone want to spend the rest of their life with someone? It sounds like a death sentence.

Or it did. Until Jeanne. Then he understood. Or he thought he did, at any rate. It wasn't until Ziva that he really saw, really envisioned himself getting married. Really liked the idea. Really loved the idea.

His eyes fall on her lips, moving as she explains something to Gibbs. The lips he's kissed countless times. The only lips he ever wants to kiss again.

The only lips he ever wants to kiss again? When did he become some Hugh Grant character?

"That's good work." She smiles and Tony smiles too. He loves her when she's happy. Ziva hands the file to Gibbs who places it on the corner of his desk. "Take the rest of the day off, Ziver."

Her smile widens as she looks at Tony, sticking out her tongue.

"Uh, boss?" Gibbs looks up. "What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Do I get the day off?"

"What work have you done today, DiNozzo?"

He racks his brain as Ziva chuckles behind her desk. "I fixed the coffee machine."

"I hate that damn coffee machine. Tastes like dirt."

"Okay well… I… Um…" Gibbs allows himself a small smile as he watched the gears turn in Tony's mind.

"Just go, Tony." The senior field agent gives his boss a large grin before hastily shutting down his computer.

"Thanks boss." He says, throwing on his jacket and grabbing his bag. Ziva hides her smirk as she puts on her backpack more ceremoniously.

They walk the short distance to the elevator as Tony nervously feels around in his pocket.

_Still there._

Ziva gives him another curious glance as she presses the call button, and immediately the doors slide open.

"So, what exactly did you have in mind for this afternoon?" Tony asks, voice low.

Ziva smiles, and pushes the button for the ground floor before turning on Tony. "Remember that night, with the strawberries?" The grin covers his entire face. "I just picked some up at the store yesterday." She whispers this lightly in his ear and he shivers.

_God, I love her._

And suddenly he's flicking the emergency stop button. And suddenly he's no longer next to her.

"Tony…?" She asks, as he faces the wall away from her, taking a deep breath. "What is going on?"

_Just do it already._

"I love you, Ziva," he says after a moment, turning to look at her. Her eyes darken and concern fills her features.

"What is wrong, Tony?" She asks again, placing her hand lightly on his arm. He gently brushes it off, giving it a small squeeze before letting go.

"I love you… and I need to say this. Because it's important."

She nods, looking into his hazy green eyes as they stare right back into her own.

"Okay, where do I start? I don't know." He's mumbling to himself as he breaks their eye contact, and Ziva ones again reaches for his arm.

"Tony," she says softly and suddenly his gaze can't leave hers. His hand fumbles in his pocket before closing around the desired object.

_Show time DiNozzo._

"Ziva, will you marry me?" He asks, pulling out box and falling to a knee. Her mouth opens, though she is too stunned to speak. He speaks for her. "I know there are about a thousand reasons why you shouldn't, but… I love you. And I'm pretty sure you love me too."

"Tony," her voice is quiet, and he doesn't notice.

"And yeah, I know I'm not exactly marriage material, and your father wouldn't approve. But Gibbs approves. I asked him. And I'm sorry I asked him before I asked you, I just did."

"Tony," she says again, with a little more force.

"So if you say no, that's fine. And we can still date, if that's what you want, because we don't need to get married. I mean-" Tony stops himself as he watches a tear fall down Ziva's cheek. "Why are you crying?" he asks plaintively, standing up and reaching out to brush wipe the offending liquid off her face.

"Because you will not listen to me!" She says it with a watery laugh and Tony relaxes – well, slightly. "I love you Tony, and I would love to marry you."

His eyes widen and his mouth drops. "You're serious? I mean… you're serious?"

"Yes." She says simply, beaming widely as she watches a grin start to form upon his face. Before she has time to fully appreciate it however, he draws her into a passion filled kiss.

It's several seconds, perhaps minutes, before they resurface, both with exuberant, breathless smiles filling their features. He opens the box he'd been holding tightly in his hand, before taking out the ring.

"It's not much, but I mean, you can't really have a big flashy ring when your kicking ass can you?" He says it with a nervous laugh, and she kisses him gently.

"It's perfect."

"Yeah, it is." He smiles as he reaches out for her hand and begins to place the ring on her finger.

"Tony. Wrong hand." She laughs, and he blushes.

"I knew that." He removes the ring before placing it in the correct spot.

"I love you, Tony." She says, before pulling him into a tender kiss.

He smirks as he pulls back, looking deep into her eyes.

"So how about those strawberries?"

-=-

**--==--**

**I think there should be a Tiva-athon, where people write proposal fics. It would certainly boost spirits. Writing this boosted mine, and I hope reading it boosted yours.**

**I don't think I'll add another chapter, as I have no idea what it would entail. If you have any suggestions then review, s'il vous plait?**

**And just a quick note: I have never used the word "smile" (or any synonyms) more in a single chapter then I just did.**


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